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Juvenile Puff Faced Water Snake - Homalopsis buccata - Not Dangerous

Photo Copyright 2010 Vern Lovic

Name – Homalopsis buccata (Puff-faced Water Snake)

Thai – (ngu hua galog, ngu leuam ao)

Size – Maximum about 120 centimeters. The young are very thin – like a pencil. The adults are thick – like a forearm or even a human leg.

Range – all over Thailand and almost always beside or in water: Pools, streams, rivers, puddles, lakes. They are not found on hills or mountains.

Food - fish, frogs, tadpoles primarily.

Behavior – The water snake Homalopsis buccata lives in fresh and salty mixed with fresh – brackish water. These snakes live in and near any body of water – natural or man-made. Puff Faced Watersnakes are found almost always in the water or on the bank. Small holes in the bank are often ‘home’.  This snake is primarily active at night, but I have found 2 of them during the day time. eds on fish, frogs and frog spawn.

Young - born alive without eggs. Coloration – orange and black bands. Adults are darker orange and even grey color without any orange.

Danger – I’ve had a couple of these snakes and they don’t seem to bite at all. Not saying they never do, but I think their temperament is nice and calm.

Range - Bangladesh; Myanmar, Cambodia; Thailand; Vietnam; Indonesia; Laos; Malaysia; Singapore; India; Nepal; Pulau Bangka

Homalopsis buccata – Puff-faced Water Snake

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Homalopsis
Species: H. buccata
Binomial name
Homalopsis buccata

Classification by Linnaeus in 1758

The Plumbeous Water Snake (AKA: Rice Paddy Snake) is a venomous snake, though it is not dangerous to humans.

Enhydris plumbea (Plumbeous Water Snake, and Rice Paddy Snake, Puff-faced Water snake)

Thais say: (ngoo bping)

Length: average length for these snakes is about 50cm (19 inches)

Range: The plumbeous water snake is found all over Thailand as well as nearly all of southeast Asia.

Habitat: Near or in water. Lakes, streams, rivers, puddles, marshes, any where water is.

Active Time? Diurnal – active in daylight mostly.

Food: Food is generally fish and frogs, though other opportunistic eating may take place.

Defensive Behavior: Typical s-shaped striking position. Not very mobile on land.

Venom Toxicity: Venomous. Not toxic enough venom to affect humans severely. No known cases of death due to bite from this species in the herpetological literature.

Offspring:

Notes: As you might have guessed, these snakes are most commonly found in the vast rice fields of Thailand. These are common snakes, we have found two of them recently – one in a small pond with many frogs. One at a resort with a stream and some shallow pools of water.

Enhydris plumbea Classification

“Rice Paddy Snake”

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Homalopsinae
Genus: Enhydris
Species: E. plumbea
Binomial name: Enhydris plumbea

(classified by F. Boie, in year 1827)

Thailand water snakes are close to or living in the water. You won’t likely see the Jagor’s water snake anywhere near your house or out in a Thailand park unless there is water there.

Enhydris jagori (Jagor’s Water Snake)

Thais say: (ngoo sy rung ly kwang)

Length: usually less than .5 meters (50cm, 19 inches)

Range: All over Thailand

Habitat: I have seen these Jagor’s water snakes in small pools of water at a city dump as well as a mountains stream. They are very dark and difficult to see.

Active Time?

Food: Fish and frogs.

Defensive Behavior:

Venom Toxicity: There are no known cases of death from this snake. Probably the venom is not very strong for humans.

Offspring: Nothing known.

Notes: The liklihood of you seeing the Jagori’s Water Snake in Thailand whether you live or visit here, is very small.

Jagor’s water snake scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Sauropsida
Subclass: Diapsida
Superorder: Lepidosauria
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Infraorder: Alethinophidia
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Homalopsinae
Genus: Enhydris
Species: Enhydris jagori

Binomial name
Bungarus fasciatus
Classified by Schneider in year 1801

Erpeton tentaculum (Tentacle Snake, Fishing Snake)

Thais say: (ngoo kra deng)

Length: average snakes are up to 50-90 cm as adults.

Range: Central and southern Thailand only

Habitat: Tentacled water snakes are found in lakes, rice fields, streams, and other shallow water that is either moving or stagnant – especially that which is murky. It is found in all three types of water environments including salt, fresh, and brackish (combined) water. This snake waits patiently on the bottom and waits for something to wander by – whereupon it seizes it in it’s mouth. Amazingly the tentacled snake can stay underwater for 30 minutes on a breath.

During the dry season in Thailand – from January to April, the Erepton tentaculatus buries it’s body in mud to stay wet and cool, with it’s head out of the moud – of course. They do need oxygen to survive.

Active Time? When night is falling it is known to be more active.

Food: Fish. To lure the prey closer to provide the opportunity for a strike these tentacled snakes use their tentacles as lures – like tiny worms. When the fish come closer they strike. When striking their eyes are retracted and they aim for where the fish will be, not where it is. This is an amazing feat. In actuality the snake is tricking the fish with a movement of it’s body – into fleeing. But, it knows exactly where it will go when it flees. A very unique snake.

Defensive Behavior: Bites when provoked, but not with normal handling.

Venom Toxicity: Weak venom that is not known to affect humans much. Not deadly. These are not biters, per se, and even when handled they are not known to bite much. The fangs are small, in the rear of the mouth, and the fangs are only partially grooved, not made for injecting large amounts of toxic venom. Their venom works well on fish they eat.

Offspring: Each year this water snake gives birth to a half to a dozen live young which are between 20 and 40 cm in length and about a pencil’s diameter in girth.

Notes: Because it spends it’s life buried in mud, or under the water looking for prey it is a rather difficult snake to catch. Recently on a herping trip in southern Thailand I believe a group of us saw one, but, when we reached in with the tongs to attempt to grab the snake, it had already darted.

These snakes are either lightly striped or have blotches. Their color is either hues of grey or brown.

Erpeton tentaculatum

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Homalopsinae
Genus: Erpeton
Species: E. tentaculatum
Classified as: Erpeton tentaculatum
Classified by, Lacepede in year, 1800.